Facebook likes to move it, move it. So much so, that Moves  the iOS and Android fitness tracker app  announced today that Facebook has acquired the company (and said app).

The Finland-based developers didn't disclose the details of the transaction with Facebook, as is common for these types of acquisitions. We also haven't seen any numbers or estimates floating around about what Facebook might have spent. Presumably it's a tad less than the $2 billion it spent on Oculus VR or $16 billion for WhatsApp.

The developers have noted that Moves will continue to work as it has previously. The company has no plans (right now) to integrate anything Facebook-y into said application.

"Since we launched Moves, we've been focused on running a simple and clean activity diary that millions of people have enjoyed using," reads a statement from Moves. "Now, we're joining Facebook's talented team to work on building and improving their products and services with a shared mission of supporting simple, efficient tools for more than a billion people."

The intriguing part about Moves  at least, we can only surmise that this bit was of interest to Facebook  is that the app contains a few nifty geolocation features above and beyond your standard "map where you're running" functionality.

Since the app runs constantly in your device's background, it can track the various moments throughout the day when you're walking, driving, running, etc. It also makes note of when you've stopped at a particular location you've previously identified within the app  like a café, or work, or what have you  to create what the developers call a "storyline" of your day's activities. You can then output this data to a variety of other apps to use as you see fit.

While that technology and data sure sounds as if it would be an ideal partner alongside Facebook's mobile advertising efforts and mobile check-in systems, that doesn't appear to be the route Facebook will be going right now.

"The Moves app will continue to run as a separate, standalone application. The Moves team has built an incredible tool for the millions of people who want to better understand their daily fitness activity, and we're looking forward to the app continuing to gain momentum," reads a Facebook press release.

The app, which the Wall Street Journal notes has been downloaded more than 4 million times by iOS and Android users alike, gives Facebook its first foray into fitness tracking. It seems like a smart purchase, too: Facebook doesn't need to deal with any additional hardware, since Moves is just a smartphone app, and it comes at a time when heavyweights like Nike are reportedly abandoning their hardware efforts to focus more on the software associated with fitness tracking.

In other words, Facebook appears to be trying to get a leg up on the competition. CEO Mark Zuckerberg put it differently in Facebook's recent earnings call, commenting that the company's interest in creating or acquiring lifestyle-themed mobile apps fits its mission to connect the world  "[they're] part of the full ecosystem of different ways that people want to share with different people."

About the Author

David Murphy got his first real taste of technology journalism when he arrived at PC Magazine as an intern in 2005. A three-month gig turned to six months, six months turned to occasional freelance assignments, and he later rejoined his tech-loving, mostly New York-based friends as one of PCMag.com's news contributors.
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